


the heavens are right

by Fives (janfives90)



Category: The Prom - Sklar/Beguelin/Martin
Genre: F/F, Next Door Neighbor au, Oneshot, puppy au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-09
Updated: 2020-06-09
Packaged: 2021-03-04 06:55:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,808
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24619459
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/janfives90/pseuds/Fives
Summary: A knock on her door wakes Emma as she’s sprawled hap-hazardly on her living room floor. She drags herself to her feet and straightens her glasses before she answers it, blinking in confusion at her next door neighbor’s daughter.“Hi,” Alyssa says with a smile. She holds out an envelope. “We got your mail again.”“Oh.” Emma rubs at her eyes and gives a sleepy smile as she takes the envelope. “Thank you.”
Relationships: Alyssa Greene/Emma Nolan
Comments: 4
Kudos: 84





	the heavens are right

A knock on her door wakes Emma as she’s sprawled hap-hazardly on her living room floor. She drags herself to her feet and straightens her glasses before she answers it, blinking in confusion at her next door neighbor’s daughter.

“Hi,” Alyssa says with a smile. She holds out an envelope. “We got your mail again.”

“Oh.” Emma rubs at her eyes and gives a sleepy smile as she takes the envelope. “Thank you.”

Alyssa frowns. “Are you okay? You look exhausted, and it’s like. Noon.”

“Yeah, uh. Ravioli had puppies a little over a week ago.”

“Oh my God. Really?”

Emma nods and yawns. “I’ve been keeping an eye on them, but I don’t get a lot of sleep because of it.”

“Do you need any help?”

“I don’t think so.” Emma rubs the back of her neck and yawns again. “Do you want to see them?”

Alyssa’s eyes brighten. “Can I?”

“Absolutely.” Emma leads her into the house, tossing the mail onto the kitchen counter before washing her hands in the sink. “Wash before we go back. They’re tiny, so they’re at risk if we aren’t careful.”

“Sure.” As Alyssa washes her hands, she says, “I didn’t even know she was pregnant. Mom didn’t say anything.”

“I didn’t know at first either. I thought she was just getting fat. Here she was sneaking under the back fence and visiting the Shafers’ black lab.” Emma sighs and shakes her head. “I told my parents it was stupid not to have her fixed and I should’ve done it as soon as she was mine, but it is what it is. They’re too cute for me to be too mad.”

They head downstairs into the den, where the closet is all set up as a neat little nest. Emma’s yellow lab, Ravioli, is curled up around a small pile of puppies.

“Oh, Emma, they’re adorable,” Alyssa whispers, crouching down in front of the small cardboard wall in front of the closet.

Ravioli lifts her head and makes a small noise of discontent.

“It’s okay, girl,” Emma murmurs, giving her a head a stroke. “Alyssa’s a friend.”

“There’s… four?”

“Yep.”

“Wow.” Alyssa laughs, watching the babies twitch and wiggle in their sleep. “Three black and one yellow?”

“It happens,” Emma laughs. She points at them in turns. “Blue collar is Chocolate Chip, green collar is Blackberry, yellow collar is Fudge, and purple collar, our odd man out, is Moon.”

Alyssa raises an eyebrow. “Moon?”

“Short for Moon Pie.”

“Fitting.” Alyssa gives a soft smile. “God. They’re so cute.”

“Hey.” Emma reaches in and picks up Blackberry, awake and shuffling around her siblings. “Look at you, sweet girl. You opening your eyes first? What a big girl.”

Alyssa grins as she leans over. “Can I…?”

“Of course.” Emma passes the puppy over to her, smiling as Alyssa cradles her in her hands and holds her up to her face.

“Are you exhausted because you’ve just been staring at them?” Alyssa asks, stroking Blackberry on the top of the head with a light finger.

“Mostly,” Emma laughs. “Plus, I’m just anxious. I know they’re okay, but I’m constantly worried about them all.”

Alyssa gently sets the puppy back in the pile with the others. “When’s the last time you slept? Ate?”

“Uh…” Emma bites her lip. “Really slept, before they were born. Really ate, maybe three days ago? I don’t actually remember.”

_ “Em.” _

“What? What?” Emma makes a helpless gesture at the dogs.  _ “What?” _

Alyssa shakes her head and grabs her by the arm, pulling her up and over to the nearby couch. “Lay down. Take a nap.”

“I’m not-” Emma yawns. “-tired.”

“Uh huh.” Alyssa cups Emma’s face in her hands. “Take a nap, Nolan.”

“Have I mentioned yet that you look really pretty today?”

“No, but it won’t save you.” Alyssa pats Emma’s cheek. “You’re still cute, though.”

Emma makes a small grumpy noise as she drops onto the couch. “Are you home for good now?” she murmurs.

“Yeah, I’m home for good.”

“Where does that leave us?”

Alyssa pauses before leaning down and pressing a kiss to Emma’s forehead. “Get some rest, Em.”

She turns and heads back upstairs, and the words cycle in Emma’s brain only once before she drifts off to sleep.

* * *

Emma isn’t sure what time it is, but it’s dark and her house smells like food.

Confused, she gets up and blinks at her watch. Five p.m. It’s a bit overdue to feed her dog, but not by much. She pours food into the food bowl and checks Ravioli’s water before walking up the steps.

She’s even more confused by what she finds upstairs.

The lights are on in her kitchen, Alyssa is sitting on her living room couch watching television, and she’s finally able to identify the fact the food smell as pasta.

“What’s happening?” Emma mumbles.

“Oh, good, you’re alive.” Alyssa turns the television off and stands. “I was starting to wonder.”

Emma rubs the back of her neck and frowns. “What?”

“I hope you don’t mind, but I raided your cabinets. You do not have much food, and if you don’t leave your house and go shopping within the next few days, I’m going to go do it for you. You’re a mess, Nolan. Is this what bachelor life means for you?”

“I… I’m sorry. I think I might be in a nightmare. Why am I being yelled at for inventory?”

Alyssa grins and shakes her head. “Don’t be rude to the woman who made you dinner.”

Emma stares. “You made me dinner?”

“Let’s just say that I was having doubts about you making one for yourself.” Alyssa walks over and sets her hands on Emma’s shoulders. “It’ll need to be heated. I made it a few hours ago in case you woke up earlier.” She pauses, eyes studying Emma’s face. “You did this in school when you really had to study something. Please tell me that it hasn’t happened a lot while I’ve been abroad for this work thing.”

Emma shrugs. “Your mom keeps an eye on me when she can. Gran checks in every week. You know how it is, Lys. I can’t help it. It’s like when I start working on writing a song, I just… get a little lost. I find myself eventually.” She gives a small smile. “You found your way back eventually, too.”

“Yeah, I did.” Alyssa lowers her hands. “Why don’t we go eat dinner?”

“...Yeah, sure. Thank you for doing that.”

“It’s not a problem, Em. You know it’s never a problem.”

* * *

“You’re getting so big so fast,” Emma coos, scrawling down the weight as she picks Fudge up from the little kitchen scale. “Look at you, big man. You’re going to be a big dog, aren’t you? Yes you are.”

Alyssa smiles, sitting next to her holding Moon. “What will you do with them when they’re bigger?”

“I’m not sure yet. I have a big enough yard that when they all steal my heart I could honestly keep them. I mean, there’s a huge yard, the house backs up to a lake, it’s perfect for these guys. As long as my neighbors don’t mind, that is.”

Alyssa laughs. “My mother might be a harder sell, but if you get her in on the idea when they’re small and adorable like this, she won’t be able to say no.”

Emma sets Fudge back in the nest and picks up Chocolate Chip. “By the way, I’m sorry that I kind of… threw the big question at you earlier. I was half-asleep and wasn’t thinking.”

“Which question?”

“Uh… you know, the ‘where does that leave us’ question.”

“Ah.” Alyssa looks down, watching the puppy squirm in her hands. “If I remember correctly, I was kind of an idiot when I left.”

“That would be rude of me to say.”

“No, you can say it. I panicked, ran over here right before I got in the car to go to the airport, blurted out that I loved you, kissed you, and then left to spend a year in Japan. That’s literally as stupid as a person can get.”

Emma gives a soft laugh. “Maybe a little.”

“I was so afraid that if I didn’t say it before I left, I’d never say it. And I’m not sure what was supposed to happen if I didn’t, but… I don’t know. I was just scared.”

“You’re not so scared anymore. You basically told me to shut up and go to bed and then raided my house for cooking supplies. Then just sat around and waited for me for hours. It’s kind of a bold move even for a girl I’ve known since I was five.”

“Oh, shut up. I was worried about you.”

“And I appreciate that.” Emma sets Chocolate Chip back in the box, then takes Moon and puts him back as well. She takes Alyssa’s hand and pulls her to her feet.

“What are you-”

Emma gently pushes Alyssa against the wall and kisses her.

Alyssa’s fingers card in her hair, pulling her in closer. Emma sets her hands on Alyssa’s waist, holding her in place, deepening the contact almost desperately.

When it finally breaks, Alyssa rasps, “Oh. That’s what you’re doing.”

“Do you know what pissed me off the most back then, Greene?” Emma growls. “You didn’t give me a chance to say it back. You said you loved me, kissed me senseless, and then ran off to another country. What the hell was I supposed to do, say it back over Skype? Fuck that.” She grabs Alyssa by the jaw, a grip that’s gentle but firm, holding their eye contact. “I love you.”

Alyssa’s breath catches in her throat. “Emma,” she whispers. “It’s been a year. Are you sure you-”

“Of course I’m sure. I haven’t changed. Well, I guess I have four kids to take care of now, but other than that.”

Alyssa laughs and leans her head forward, resting it on Emma’s shoulder. “Jesus. I already knew I still loved you. You don’t need to be so  _ Emma _ about everything.”

“It’s kinda how it is.” Emma kisses the side of Alyssa’s head. “But I do promise, Lys. I promise that I’ll try to pay more attention to how I take care of myself when I have projects grabbing my attention.”

“Good.” Alyssa lifts her head and presses a soft kiss to Emma’s lips. “Luckily for you, I’ll be around to pick up some of your slack when you forget, too.”

Emma grins. “Yeah?”

“Yeah.” Alyssa prods her in the stomach. “Now,  _ sleep. _ The puppies are sleeping. You can sleep, too.”

Emma holds a hand out to her. “Any interest in joining me?”

“I’m not-” Alyssa yawns. “...Yeah. Okay.”

With a small laugh, Emma takes Alyssa by the hand and leads her back upstairs.


End file.
